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Four years ago today, H&M made a bold promise that, if kept, would mean a game changer for the industry. On 25 November 2013, the company vowed to pay what H&M calls a ‘fair living wage’ to the garment workers in its supply chain by 2018. On the fourth anniversary of H&M’s historic statement, with 2018 just around the corner, Clean Clothes Campaign and global partners are greatly anticipating the moment next year when every garment worker that stitches clothes for H&M will receive a living wage.

A policy brief released today by the International Labor Rights Forum urges governments, employers and worker organizations to support a new International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention and Recommendation to address gender-based violence in the world of work.

As the banana world gathers in Geneva this week for the Third Conference of the World Banana Forum (FAO), small scale farmers and trade unions representing plantation workers are warning that without fundamental changes in the way that bananas are produced, the world’s favorite fruit will disappear from supermarkets shelves.

As Ivanka Trump travels to Asia to speak about what she terms “women’s empowerment” at the fourth annual World Assembly for Women in Tokyo this week, a coalition of labor, consumer, union and human rights organizations today criticized her hypocrisy in ignoring the plight of workers who make the clothing marketed under her name.

Investor-State Dispute Settlement Becomes Key Measure of Whether NAFTA Renegotiations Will Benefit Working People or Expand Corporate Power

10/11/17

Growing public opposition to the expansive corporate privileges at the heart of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took center stage as the fourth round of NAFTA talks began today in Washington, D.C. U.S., Mexican and Canadian civil society organizations delivered more than 400,000 petitions demanding that NAFTA’s expansive corporate rights and protections and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) be eliminated during renegotiations.

Labour rights organizations are deeply concerned about the closing of democratic and civil society space in Cambodia. This trend has recently escalated with alarming high-profile incidents of repression against political leaders, non-governmental organizations, and independent media.

Thai use of criminal defamation draws outcry in advance of state visit

10/03/17

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House yesterday, the same week 14 migrant workers in Thailand will be indicted on charges of criminal defamation and giving false information to public officials. The charges stem from a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) in which the workers alleged egregious abuses by their employer, Thammakaset Company Limited, on a poultry farm that exported chicken overseas. The workers are scheduled to be indicted October 4, 2017, in Don Muang Magistrate's Court in Bangkok.

Global coalition calls for end to prosecutorial persecution with criminal defamation law

09/19/17

(BANGKOK) – Prosecution of migrant workers and their advocates under criminal defamation laws for reporting violations of Thailand’s labor law violates Thailand’s international legal obligations and business’ obligations to respect human rights under the U.N.

International Labor Rights Groups Criticize Criminal Complaint Against Deceased Workers at Multifabs Ltd and Call for Thorough Investigation and Full Compensation for Victims

07/06/17

According to media reports, police have filed a criminal complaint against ten people following the July 3rd explosion at the Multifabs Ltd. facility. The complaint accuses the individuals of negligence of duty, injury and murder. The only three individuals named in the complaint were killed in the explosion. An inquiry into the causes of the explosion has yet to be completed.

The following is the statement of the Witness Signatories of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh – Clean Clothes Campaign, International Labor Rights Forum, Worker Rights Consortium and Maquila Solidarity Network – concerning the boiler explosion at Multifabs Ltd.

Government response has not yet improved situation for migrant workers

06/27/17

The U.S. State Department has left Thailand on the Tier 2 Watchlist, just above the lowest ranking of Tier 3, in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, despite clear evidence that migrant workers remain highly vulnerable to human trafficking and that Thai legal institutions are failing to adequately protect victims or prosecute offenders.

Unprecedented Public Response to Administration Request for Comment Spotlights Political Stakes of NAFTA Renegotiation

06/27/17

The broad coalition that derailed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) delivered more than 100,000 petitions demanding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) be replaced with a deal that benefits working people. Activists with “Replace NAFTA” signs and T-shirts made the delivery today as witnesses arrived for hearings on NAFTA renegotiation at the U.S. International Trade Commission. This followed the unprecedented submission of more than 50,000 comments to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) docket on NAFTA talks.

As stakeholders gather at the 5th annual Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) European Roundtable to begin discussing the review of the certification body’s standards, known as the Principles and Criteria (P&C), NGOs remain critical that improvements to its standard will not be enough to ensure responsible palm oil production without serious reforms to its auditing, enforcement and complaints systems.

ILRF, the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable, Free the Slaves, and Verité submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies calling for continued funding for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs’ grant programs.

Tomorrow, 18 May, the third annual review of the so-called “Sustainability Compact” between Bangladesh, the European Union and the International Labour Organization takes place in Dhaka. Despite optimism voiced by the EU, Bangladesh is still far from meeting its international labour rights’ commitments and taking concrete steps enshrined under the Compact. A striking example is the wave of repression which the the Bangladeshi labour movement has faced since December 2016.